Kukla's Korner Hockey

“There are a lot of Next Ones,” said David Andrews, chief executive of the American Hockey League, the N.H.L.’s top minor league. “And that’s not to say John Tavares isn’t. But there are 200 first- and second-round draft picks in the A.H.L., and none of them thought they were going to play in the American Hockey League.”

For now, Tavares deals with his fame by staying in a protective circle formed by his team, his coach and his family. His father, Joe, and mother, Barbara, and his two younger sisters make the drive from their hometown, Oakville, for most of Oshawa’s games.